The 2014 US film Transcendence follows a dying scientist who uploads his mind to a supercomputer and becomes a near\u2011omnipotent intelligence. A year later, Ex Machina told the story of a humanoid robot who outsmarts her human handlers and escapes into the wider world.<\/p>\n
Both of these films, like many others from the realm of science fiction, referred to what is known as \u201cthe singularity\u201d, a moment in time when technology, particularly AI, surpasses human intelligence and becomes increasingly difficult to control.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, OpenAI boss Sam Altman<\/a> declared that this moment has come. AI has reached \u201cthe singularity\u201d, he said. While Altman emphasised that the singularity can be good for the world, his comment has sparked concern. On the other hand, some experts disagree that we have reached the singularity, or that AI is anywhere near outpacing human intelligence or stealing our jobs.<\/p>\n Here is a closer look at what Altman said, and whether it means more seamless automation or the risk of impending catastrophic doom.<\/p>\n What is the singularity?<\/p>\n The singularity refers to a hypothetical point in the future when a technology such as AI surpasses human intelligence and becomes capable of autonomously enhancing itself. It is theorised that this is the point at which it will become difficult for humans to control or reverse it and could have unpredictable effects on human civilisation.<\/p>\n The theory proposes that once AI gains control of its own development, ensuing advances in technology could happen so rapidly that humans would be unable to keep up, leaving it to effectively evolve on its own, beyond human control.<\/p>\n As this is only a theory, it is hard to say what the effect of this could be. Some experts warn that the singularity would be catastrophic for humanity, while others are more optimistic, suggesting it could be beneficial for the human race.<\/p>\n So far, the singularity has remained contained in the realm of science fiction. One of the most famous examples is The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003), which imagines a bleak post\u2011singularity future in which machines govern humans. Another is the 2017 film Singularity, in which a supercomputer originally built to end human wars concludes that humanity is the real threat and launches an apocalyptic assault to wipe humans out altogether.<\/p>\n What did Altman say about the singularity?<\/p>\n Altman is the CEO of OpenAI, whose signature product ChatGPT dominates the consumer AI market with more than 900 million weekly active users and about 50 million subscribers.<\/p>\n Last year, he predicted that AI would surpass human intelligence across the board by 2030.<\/p>\n Then, during an appearance on the Relentless podcast \u2013 a documentary series \u201cabout the pursuit of far-fetched ideas and unusual aspirations\u201d \u2013 on Saturday, Altman said: \u201cWe\u2019re now, like, in the singularity.\u201d<\/p>\n He clarified that, in terms of technological advances, we are gradually moving into the singularity, and that this change will be good for the world.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cNow we\u2019re actually in the moment that we used to talk about at the lunch table in a very not-serious way.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for this my whole life, and I think it\u2019s going to be incredible, hugely positive, awesome for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Later in the podcast episode, Altman criticised other AI leaders for warning that AI may be dangerous. While Altman did not name OpenAI competitor Anthropic, its CEO Dario Amodei is known for making such warnings.<\/p>\n \u201cI also think some of the alternative visions painted by other companies are quite terrifying,\u201d said Altman. \u201cI\u2019m going to make sure that gets pushed against and is not what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot, called on the world\u2019s top AI companies to come up with a coordinated way to pause<\/a> the development of advanced AI systems, warning that the technology is improving so quickly that there\u2019s a risk humans would lose control.<\/p>\n In a blog post on June 4, Anthropic, which has long positioned itself as a safety-focused AI lab, wrote that as AI becomes more advanced \u201cit would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause\u201d its development.<\/p>\n Why are others warning of the dangers of AI?<\/p>\n